BRUSSELS, Sep. 24 /CSRwire/ - The postal industry today reports that it cut its CO2 emissions by over half a million tonnes in 2009, on 2008 figures. The findings were made public in the Postal Sector Sustainability Report 2010, published today by the International Post Corporation (IPC).

The Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS) programme was launched with the presentation of the industry's benchmark report at the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, Denmark, when the postal industry became the first global services industry to adopt a sector-wide approach to sustainability. The sector then set itself an emissions reduction target of 20% based on 2008 figures, by 2020 (the '20/2020 target').

In this first year of reporting nearly all of the 20 participating postal operators improved their carbon management scores on 2008, reporting a collective reduction in CO2 emissions of a total 597,000 tonnes. In 2009 these posts collectively emitted 8.63m tonnes of CO2, so this figure represents over a third of the required emissions reduction to meet the 20% target by 2020 set in Copenhagen.

Commenting on the results, IPC Chairman and CEO of Groupe La Poste Jean-Paul Bailly commended the participating postal operators on the strides they have collectively made: "I am extremely encouraged by this significant lessening of the postal industry's global carbon footprint, and delighted we as an industry have been able to achieve so much in our first year. IPC's leadership in driving the EMMS programme has in no small part contributed to achieving these great results."

IPC CEO & President Herbert-Michael Zapf echoed Bailly's praise of the industry's efforts, commenting that “in an effort to cut a maximum of CO2 emissions and make a strong impact in this first year of reporting, participating posts will naturally have focused on areas where emissions reductions will have been most readily achievable, whether in driving energy efficiency or converting to green electricity. This is why we are unlikely to see such dramatic reductions year-on-year, and while reaching our 20/2020 target will likely become increasingly challenging with each year, as an industry we remain committed to achieving it".

This year Österreichische Post (Austrian Post) and Poste Italiane announced their participation in the EMMS programme, bringing the total number of reporting posts to 22. Both will report in 2011 on their emissions evolution from 2009 to 2010. The 20 post operators which this year took part in the EMMS report manage over 100,000 facilities and 600,000 transport vehicles and represent over 80% of global mail volumes. They are: An Post, Ireland; Australia Post; Canada Post; Correios de Portugal; Correos y Telegrafos, Spain; Deutsche Post, Germany; Groupe La Poste, France; Hellenic Post, Greece; Itella Post, Finland; La Poste/De Post, Belgium; Magyar Posta, Hungary; New Zealand Post; Norway Post; Posten Norden AB, Denmark and Sweden; Postes et Telecommunications Luxembourg; Royal Mail, United Kingdom; Swiss Post; TNT, The Netherlands; and the United States Postal Service.

An online version of the report can be found at www.ipc.be. Hard copies of the report can be requested directly from IPC.

About the Carbon Measurement System

The reporting system consists of a questionnaire which is based on:
The requirements of international best practice standards of:

Dow Jones Sustainability Index

FTSE4Good

Carbon Disclosure Project

Greenhouse Gas (GHG)Protocol

Global Reporting initiative (G3) sustainability reporting guidelines

ISO 14000

And current best practice from the corporate environment, including:

Postal companies

Logistics and transportation companies

Leading-edge global businesses including customers

Once the answers are audited through a process that includes web review, checking of documents, interview and expert opinion, ten key management proficiency areas are scored with weightings assigned for answers, questions and proficiency areas that include

Principles

Management and strategy

Policy and procedure

Employee engagement

Activity

Measurement and verification

Targets

Performance

Disclosure – reporting

Value chain management

Carbon related impacts and responses

About the International Post Corporation

The International Post Corporation (IPC) is the cooperative association of 24 member postal operators in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. IPC develops technology systems that bring transparency to the mail processing system and delivery chain and drive improvements in the quality of mail services. IPC engages in industry research, creates business intelligence for its members, and provides a range of platforms for member CEOs and senior management to share best practices, discuss strategy and engage with third-party thought-leaders from industry, think tanks and academia. IPC also manages the system for incentive-based payments between postal operators. For more information on the International Post Corporation visit www.ipc.be.

International Post Corporation

International Post Corporation (IPC) is the leading service provider of the global postal industry that provides leadership by driving service quality, interoperability and business-critical intelligence to support posts in defending existing business and expanding into new growth areas. It is...